Giant Danio (Danio Malabaricus)

The Giant Danio is scientifically known as Devario aequipinnatus. It is a tropical fish and a member of the family Cyprinidae. Research indicates that the Giant Danio originated from Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Indian west coast. This makes this tropical fish an Asian species.


Description
In terms of length, the Giant Danio grows to about 10 cm. this effectively makes it one of the largest species of the danionins. Its body has blue and yellow colorations and its shape is like that of a torpedo. Also, the Giant Danio has gray, clear fins.

Habitat and Environmental Conditions
This tropical fish can either be domesticated or allowed to grow in the wild waters. In the wild setup, Giant Danios usually occupy areas in rivers and streams that have clear waters. They are also commonly found at altitude levels of around 300 m above the sea level. They love staying around small gravel as this is their native substrate. Being a tropical species, Giant Danio prefer waters that have a pH of between 6 and 8. In a similar vein, the water hardness where these fish are found ranges between 5.0 and 19.0 dGH. Temperatures of about 72 to 81 Fahrenheit are particularly suitable for their existence.

Diet
Being surface dwellers, this species of fish has a diet that comprises exogenous insects with a supplement of crustaceans and worms. However, when domesticated in ponds, the Giant Danio accepts a wide variety of foods.

Behavioral Pattern
The Devario aequipinnatus is an aggressive fish species and most times bully other fish species. In Central and South America, Giant Danio is used as dither fish in cichlid aquariums. This makes the cichlids to act in defense of their territories and as such exhibit natural behavior.
Reproduction
Giant Danio produces approximately 300 eggs in one spawning making them very productive. Within a short time, they can populate a pond.